One Liner: Techno remix king
Poster Position: Top Quarter - Line 5
Both Weekends.
Friday at 6:30
Tito's Tent (that sounds like fun)
Thoughts: Another artist where I absolutely expected that he had already been here before. But if he has, I didn't write it up!
The music listening experience is pretty damned weird, because you get techno-fied versions of all sort of things. Like, EDM Hava Nagila, followed by a remixed version of the Pirates of the Caribbean song with a lady singing, right after REM's "Losing My Religion," right after a techno reggaeton song, right after a electro-trash version of the Goo Goo Dolls, after a remix of that Kid Kudi/MGMT track? It's like I am not listening to one artist at all but just a mixtape of things that happen to involve beats. I threw on his most recent album - Neon Future III - from 2018, and it is just terrible pop music. Really bad stuff with famous collaborators like Blink 182, BTS, Lil Yachty, Lady Antebellum, and a fake Kesha called Bella Thorne.
So, I guess the hope is that he just remixes cool songs the whole time and avoids his own songs. His Spotify is completely overwhelming - I can't think of another artist I have run through where their catalog appeared to be a billion songs. It's like he just throws up another song every day, and so you get things like "LIES (Extended Mix)" from 2020 with 1,838 streams, in the midst of other songs with millions of streams. Just see what clicks with the kiddies!
Aoki was born in Florida, but grew up in California. This next set of facts just made me do a double-take. His father was a former wrestler who founded the restaurant chain Benihana. WHAT? This dude was playing with Benihana money when he started making sick beats!?! He played varsity badminton in high school, which is another funny anecdote. Graduated from UC Santa Barbara, where he had been experimenting with music and throwing underground shows. He formed his own label and started releasing music in 1996 as he cruised along, he has remixed famous songs by everyone. In 2012, Pollstar designated Aoki as the highest-grossing electronic dance music artist in North America from tours. He honestly seems like a likeable guy.
In a Statesman article, after this lineup was released, he even noted the overload of EDM. "I would even say 40% to 50% of the artists are DJs,” Aoki said. “Rock bands have a harder time because DJs are coming up so strong now, so the tides have shifted a bit. It would be tough to be in a band at this point.”
Hard to even know how to present this to you, but I'll just go with the top thing, which is that Kid Kudi/MGMT/Temper Trap Extended Steve Aoki Remix thing. 743.7 million streams.
Did that "crush a bit" thing come from Schoolboy Q first, or did this dork do that first? I was going to say I refuse to look it up, but now I kind of care. Dangit. Q sampled Kudi. I wanted it to be the other way around... Whatever, I can see that song being very fun to jump around to and be crazy in the mosh pit. I get it. His second-biggest streamer has BTS in there, which is smart. 397.2 million streams.
I like how they show Aoki look all badass as he turns that one knob and nothing changes in the song. Also, those lyrics are freaking amazing - "I DO IT. I DO IT. You're a tasteless RATATOUILLE." Hell yeah. BUUUUURN! Also, "Foot foot watch it your mouth mouth you watch it." DAAAAMN! That video makes me laugh. Dancing super tough as they are asking me if I have seen their hella thick bag.
I can see that this show would likely be a lot of fun. He is just going to play remixes of hit songs and make a big fat party over there at his stage. What would be amazing is if this was in the Tito's Tent. Likely will not go, but who knows. This is better than some of the other EDM on this poster.
